Speech #520151368

Mass --------------- 50 73 41 192 16 New York. N. Y ------------ 342 372 29 2.011 619 Total ................. 676 481 91 2.116 1.248 Gross number of immigrants arriving at the several ports. July 1. 1891. to January 31. 1892. 2.58.155. By the census of 1890 our aggregate population i 62.622.250. of which number the native born are 53.372.703. and the foreign born arc 9.249.547. which shows a percentage of 85.23 per cent cf native brn and 14.77 of foreign born. By the census of 1880 there was 80.68 per cant native born and 13.33 per c:n.t foreign born. The per cant of increaso in the native born between the ycars 1870 and 1880 was 31.78. while the per cent of :increase of native born between the years 1880 and 1890 is only 22.76 per cent. The per cent of increase of foreign born between the years 1870 and 1880 was 19.99 per cent. while the per cent of the increase of the foreign born between the years 1880 and 1890 is 38.47 per cent. almost double what it was in the preceding ten years. The increase in the native born between the years 1870 and 1880 was 10.484.698. while the increase in the native born between the years 1880 and 1890 was only 9.896.963. This shows that the immigration to this country is largely increasing. We have by the census of 1890 a percentage of foreign born in this country of .14.77 per cent. We would naturally presume that the percentage of foreign paupers and criminals toall the paupers and criminals would be no greater than the percentage of foreigners to the whole people in the country. but by the census of 1890 we find that there are 21.037 white prisoners both of whose parents were native born. and 15.932 prisoners of foreign birth. In this statement I do not include the prisoners whose parents wcre foreign born. but only prisoners who themselves were foreign born and who have come into this country within the last few years. and in a total of 36.969 of foreign birth ard born in this country of foreign parents 15.932 are foreigners. oc about 42 per cent. If we take those born in this country of native and foreign born parents. including those of unknown parentage. the percentage of white persons who themselves were born :n foreign counties to those born here. including those of unknown parentage. is about 27 per cent. almost double the percentage of foreigners in this country. Theprisonersof the United States in Il90 by elements of the population (Eleventh Census). Both parents native ------------------. ..------------------------------- 21.037 One parent foreign ....................................................... 2.881 Both parents foreign ------------------------------------------------1... 12.601 One or both parents unknown ------------.---------------------------- 3.952 Foreign born ------------------------------------------------------------- 15.932 Nativity unknown ........................................................ 907 Negroes ............................--------------------------------------- 24. 277 Chinese ---------_------ ------------------------------------------------ 420 Indians ------------------------------------- ------------------------ 322 Total ............................................................... 82.29 There are by the Eleventh Census 43.127 penitentiary convicts whose birthplace and parentage are known. Of this number 14.725 are foreigners. born in foreign countries. 14.687 are colored. and 13.715 are native born. The total number of penitentiary convicts of foreign and native birth. excluding colored persons is 28.440. of which number 13.715 are native born and 14.725 are of foreign birth. that is. themselves born in foreign countries. And thus we see that while the percentage of foreigners in the country is only 15 per cent. more than half of those inside the penitentiary. excluding colored people. are foreigners. These figures do not prove that immigration to this country is undesirable. but they do prove that a great many immigrants have been coming here in the last few years who are undesirable. There are 23.566 inmates of benevolent institutions born in this country whose parents are both native born. and there are 17.120 who are of foreign birth. Counting those born in this country of one or both foreign parents as native born the percentage of those of foreign birth in our benevolent institutions to those foreign born is about 25 per cent. Inmates of benevolent Institutions in the United States in 1890 by elements of the population (Eleventh Census). Both parents native ...................................................... 23.566 One parent foreign ------------------------------------------------------- 5.061 Both parents foreign ----------------------------------------------------24.215 One or both parents unknown ------------------------------------------ 23. 618 Foreignborn ------------------------------------------.------_---------- 17.120 Nativity unknown ----.. . .. ...-------------------------------------------- 13.634 Negroes .....------------------------ ---------------------------------- 4.132 Chinese -------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 Indians -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.316 Total ---- . ..... .....------------------------------------------------- 112.711 In our almshouses or poorhouses the percentage of foreign born is far greater. By the census of 1890 there are 73.045 persons in our poorhouses. of whom 6.467 are negroes. Chinese. and Indians. There are 27.648 foreigners. or about35 per cent. while there are only 21.519 whose parents are native born. Counting all born in this country as native born whether of native or foreign parents. and excluding the negroes. Chinese. and IRdians. 41 per cent of all the persons in the poorhouses of the United States were born in foreign countries and came to this country as immigrants. Paupers in alnshouses in the United States in 189). by elements of the population (Eleventh Census). Both parents native ----------------------------------------------------- 21.519 One parent foreign ------------------------------------------------------ 949 Both parents foreign ---------------------------------------------------- 3.580 One or both parents unknown ------------------- : ----------------------- 10.608 Foreign born ------------------------------------------------------------- 27.648 Nativity unknown ---. .. .. .. .. ..----------------------------------------- 2.274 Negroes -------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.418 Chinese ----------------- * ------------------------------------------------ 13 Indians -------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 73.045 The number of foreigners coming to this country is now about a half million yearly. The average number of immigrants annually coming here has largely increased in the past few years. The statistics I have givenprove that much too large a percentage of these are criminals and paupers. One reason why so large a percentage of criminals and paupers come here is that the criminals and paupers are encouraged in Europe to come here by procuring for them tickets and furnishing them certain other aid. From the report of the Special Committee on Immigration of the Charity Organization Society of the City of New York. found on page 966 of the report of the Select Committee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Fiftyfirst Congress. it is shown that there is conclusive evidence of an artificial stimulus given to the immigration of undesirable persons from Europe to this country: First. by governmental authority. second. by charitable societies. third. by steamship companies and their agents. fourth. by assistance rendered by local authorities and poorlaw guardians for the purpose of sending paupers to Americ. The British Government has been active in assisting paupers and poor parsons to emigrate. According to the memorandum of the local government board of September. 1886. the poorraw guardians have always had the right. since the poorlaw act of 1834. to use money from the rates for the purpose of assisting paupers to emigrate. They can even assist poor persons who have not yet come on the rates. except that "no orphan or deserted children can be deported unless they have actually come on the rates." From 1851 to 1886 the number of persons thus assisted was 40.154. and the total amount of money spent was �152.902. according to the report of the English local government board of 1886. In Ireland. as early as 1849. poorlaw guardians were authorized to borrow money for the purpose of assisting emigration. By the land act of 18s1 the land commission was authoi:ed to advance to poorlaw guardians by way of a loan money to assist emigration. especially of families from the poorer and more thickly populated districts of Ireland. The amount was not to exceed �200.000. and not more than onethird was to be spent in any one year. By the arrearsofrent act of 1882 the commission of public works was allowed to make grants in aid of emigration in certain districts where the union could not make adequate provisions. The money was to come from the Irish church temporalities fund. and was not to exceed �100.000. or �5 to each person assisted. The following year (tramways act) the amounts were raised to �200.000 and �8. respectively. In 1887 the local government board at Dublin reported that there was still an unexpended balance of �23.000 which could be devoted to this purpose and that emigrants had been selected. Various charitable societies in Europe assist persons to emigrate. The socalled Tuke committee assisted over 8.000 persons to emigrate from Ireland from 1882 to 1885. Various other societies and. individuals assist emigrants to leave their country. Thus the London Times. January 31. 1889. says: That the prisoners aid society assists convicts to emigrate everybody knows. and probably the United States receives its fullquota of the persons so aided. Not less than thirtyeight persons and societies are mentioned in the United States consular reports for 188586 (page 602) as assisting pauper children to settle in Canada. The Central Emigration Society. at its sixth annual meeting. in 1889. announced that the restrictions placed on the emigration of pauper children by the local government board had been removed and that the managers of reformatory and industrial schools were to be allowed to apply treasury grants. under certain conditions. to the fitting out and emigrating of such children. (London Times of July 19. 1889.) The Jewish board of guardians (a private charitable organization in London) assisted during the five years. 1882 to 1886. 8.429 poor Jews. mostly Russians. to go on to America. as appears from the report of the House of Commons committee on immigration in 1888. According to testimony before the Ford immigration com-. mittee (page 106) there exists in Munich a society for the purpose of assisting discharged convicts to begin life again. One means of effecting this object is to send the persons out of the country. According to its own reports the society assisted. in the year 1883 alone. twentyseven discharged convicts who wished to emigrate. and its branches in the provinces five others. and in 1884 the society assisted twentyfive such emigrants and the branches five others. One of the most potent influences in bringing poor immigrants to this country is the activity of steamship companies and their agents. There is very active competition among the different companies. and they have agents all through Europe and also scattered through this country. the latter selling prepaid tickets. Thus. one company had 3.500 agents in Europe and 3.400 in this country. while another has 2.500 agents in this country. These agents are moneyexchangers. boardinghouse keepers. and even liquorsellersin short. any person who comes in contact with immigrants. They are pai4T by a commission. and use their utmost efforts to induce persons to migrate. or to persuade immigrants to send for their friends. Competition reduces the fare sometimes as low as $10 or $12. The railroad companies here also reduce fares and enter into contracts with the steamship companies for the purpose of getting the immigrant traffic. By this means a regular "brokerage" business has been established. Poor peasants and laborers are induced to sell their property or mortgage their farms and come to America. where they are promised work at high wages. In many cases the agent advances money sufficient to pay the passage. the emigrant promising to pay back a much larger sum out of his first earnings in this country. After landing they fall int6 the hands of contractors. who plunder them in a great variety of ways. keeping them constantly in debt. and abandoning them if they fall sick or are disabled. Such artificial stimulus to immigration brings to this country a large mass of men who are ignorant. poor. and often depraved. It is an entirely heartless business. carried on purely from commercial motives. without any regard to the character of the immigrant or his fitness to become a member of our community. In Massachusetts in 1885 the proportion of foreign born in the total population was 27.1 per cent. the proportion of foreign born in population 14 years of age and over was 34 per cent. the proportion of foreign born among the convicts was 40.6 per cent. of prisoners 36.8 per cent. and of paupers 44 per cent. The secretary of state of New York reported in 1887 that there were in county poorhouses 9.288 foreignborn paupers. 9.172 native paupers. and in city poorhouses there were 34.167 foreignborn and 18.001 native paupers. The New York State Board of Charities in 1888 returned. at the expense of the State. 323 foreignborn persons. They were feebleminded or idiotic or crippled and diseased and unable to support themselves. and had been so since they landed in this country. The board reports that " the examination of these persons showed that they had been deported from their several homes in Euoeby th folwng agencies namey By relatives guardians. and friends. 155. by contractors. under agreement to labor. and east off when found worthless. 27. by cities. cantons. towns. and other municipalities. 49. by various immigration societies. benevolent organizations. and associations. 92. total. 328. Poverty is no disgrace. yet the nations of Europe have no right to put on us the support of their paupers. delinquents. infirm. and criminals. and no spirit of humanity demands that we should receive them. It is no wonder that the percentage of foreign paupers and criminals is far in excess of the percentage of foreigners to the whole people when all Europe is sending these paupers and criminals to us without objection on our part. making this country the garbage yard and dumping ground of the whole world. This country has always taken care of its own criminals and its own paupers. It has never given a ticket of leave to any man. nor has it ever shipped out of this country an American citizen to some other country to be supported there. It would be a very convenient and economical measure to encourage the migration of our paupers and criminals to foreign countries instead of providing for them ourselves. but such has not been the course of this country. I believe in a reasonable. wholesome immigration of people physically and mentally capable of selfsupport. I believe in the immigration of poor people to this country. if they are physically and mentally capab!e of earning a livelihood. But I do not believe that we should continue to allow our own poor people to be taxed to support the paupers of Europe. There is no nation except our own which would stand this. I do not object to immigration provided it is confined to people capable of selfsupport. and provided that the number of immigrants is not so large that we can not assimilate them. Between 1880 and 1890. in my judgment. a larger number of immigrants came to this country than is for the good of this country. We are in danger of losing our nationality if we permit too large a number of immigrants. Those people who come here to make this country their home. to learn its laws and to obey them. should be welcome. But those who come here to tarry for a time and enter into competition with our own people. and when they have accumulated a certain amount of money return to their own country. we do not want.